Haze in North remains hazardous to health

[Lite Beer]

Haze in North remains hazardous to health

CHIANG MAI: -- Haze is still posing threat to health of people in the North with health officials revealing over 7,000 patients seeing doctors at Chiang Mai hospital daily.

The increase in the number of people suffering from haze illness and the prevailing haze with air quality exceeding safety level prompted the deputy minister of Public Health Dr Somsak Chunharas and director general of Public Health Dr Pornthep Siriwanarangsan to call a meeting in Chiang Mai to discuss plans to cope with the situation, and to monitor the air quality closely.

Initially more than 100,000 sanitary masks were distributed to the people.

Health officials were also instructed to increase PR campaign advising people of risk groups to avoid outdoor exercises or wear face masks when going outside of houses.

The meeting was told of over 7,000 people having haze sickness or respiratory symptoms visiting Chiang Mai hospital daily.

Pollution control officials said although the smoky haze would slightly improve in most northern provinces but air quality remained hazardous to health with particulate matters exceeding safety level.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/21-3-2558-16-56-25-wpcf_728x410.jpg

-- Thai PBS 2015-03-21

[CMfoodie]

Do you think anyone in charge who could make a difference really gives a sh....?

[chooka]

Do you think anyone in charge who could make a difference really gives a sh....?

nope

[Lite Beer]

Corn farm fires causing North smog
Ayuthai Nonnitirat
The Sunday

Chiang Mai chamber reveals 5 million rai being burnt to clear fields, asks businesses to take responsibility

The Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce has revealed that the burning of corn plantations to clear the fields, covering 5 million rai in the North, is the main cause of the severe haze problem facing the region every year.

As a result, the chamber yesterday said it would contact business operators who bought corn for animal feed and urge them to take some responsibility for the major health threat.

Readings of small particulate matter up to 10 microns in diameter (PM10) were still high early yesterday with Chiang Rai's Mae Sai and Muang districts topping the list with 218 and 204 micrograms per cubic metre respectively.

Next was Mae Hong Son (207 micrograms), followed by Chiang Mai (181-194 micrograms).

The level considered safe is up to 120 micrograms.

It was reported that thousands of people - up to about 7,000 in some cases - had sought medical treatment for illnesses caused by the haze each day the past week in the eight upper northern provinces.

Deputy Health Minister Somsak Chunharas yesterday visited Chiang Mai where up to 3,000 haze-affected residents sought treatment each day last week.

Somsak instructed the provincial health office to provide 200,000 facemasks to affected people.

Chiang Mai Chamber of Commerce deputy chairman Wittaya Krongsap, a member of the Chiang Mai-based private sector committee tackling haze, said the annual problem did not mainly stem from outdoor burning in communities or cross-border wildfire smoke.

Wittaya said an academic team in Chiang Rai found that the main culprit responsible for 70 per cent of the problem was the fires at corn plantations to clear the fields.

In terms of the number of corn plantations, Chiang Rai ranked third behind Tak and Nan, he said, adding that in the North the burns were carried out between February-March.

Wittaya said the chamber would contact relevant agencies and ask business operators who bought corns for animal feed to take some responsibility for the problem.

The chamber would also urge the authorities to notify the farmers and tell them to do the field-clearing burns in rotation rather than burning all sites at the same time.

Meanwhile, Chiang Mai Natural Resource and Environment Office director Jongkhlai Worapongsathon wants relevant agencies to reassess the situation and issue new measures to tackle the problem.

He suggested that the burns must take place gradually before March, adding that his office would ask those promoting corn growing and major companies buying corn to take responsibility for the problem and promote alternatives to the corn-husk disposal.

Alternatives include using corn husks to make fertiliser and animal feed, he said, adding these measures, if adopted, should help in reducing the haze problem next year.

Chiang Mai University geography lecturer Suthinee Dontree said most corn farmers mainly opted for the burning method because it was cheaper while the region's farmland geography was largely mountainous, making it difficult to bring in machinery.

She said an increasing number of northern farmers had turned to growing corns because many lived on mountains, hence they had no other career choice and no legal farmland.

Corn also required minimum amount of water and the crop was harvested quickly in three to four months, she said. Suthinee said the burns occurred between January and March and some big companies who bought the produce, should help deal with the problem.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Corn-farm-fires-causing-North-smog-30256506.html

-- The Nation 2015-03-22

[NongKhaiKid]

Take Responsibility, what here in LoS ? Anyway has it not already been shown the smog's being caused by burning in Myanmar ?

[PatOngo]

The slash and burn protagonists are keeping the doctors rich with almost 50,000 consultations per week. Add to that the road accident victims and they have their hands full.

[chooka]

Why do they have to burn? Other countries have built other industries and created jobs and wealth out of old crops. Instead of burning the money consider side industries like live stock feed, compost and organic fertiliser, mulch will hold moister in the soil especially as there is a drought.

[NeilSA1]

Do you think anyone in charge who could make a difference really gives a sh....?

nope

Obviously previous governments did not take any meaningful action in the past.

Hopefully firm action will be taken soon.

[khwaibah]

Thats a lot of corn thats not in Thailand.

[cloudhopper]

"Meanwhile, Chiang Mai Natural Resource and Environment Office director Jongkhlai Worapongsathon wants relevant agencies to reassess the situation and issue new measures to tackle the problem."

The primary source of the problem has been clearly identified by academic research. Isn't that burning already illegal? Another abject failure of a corrupt and incompetent government to hold big businesses that continue to pollute at will accountable. Gold mines, factories it doesn't matter...

[clockman]

Third world, and always will be!

[clockman]

An empty bucket, makes the most noise!

[Rogergreybeard]

Let's have another meeting

[chainarong]

Lets face it all the countries causing this smoke haze all belong to ASEAN , so now that you are all lovey dovey , why not all get together and have another talk fest of the feel good kind and see if you can all come up with a solution to this yearly bout of the collie-wobbles, from Indonesia in the south to Burma in the north this is an annual event but nothing can be done unless all of ASEAN pull together because each of you spew smoke over each other , so the most sensible suggestion is, lets see if you all can take on board some responsibility and try to overcome this centuries old and traditional problem , betcha can't.

[clockman]

The feudal patronage system. Is alive and well, in the 21st century!

[trainman34014]

Don't 'ask' them....'make them' do something about it !

[harrry]

Burn the fields progresively, This will just make he problem last longer. Simple answer change practices and stop burning or stop growing corn.

[Chicken George]

Ban the growing of corn on the hillsides. Unless husks are recycled then corn growing should be banned. Its killing people. Stupid as stupid is.. There is a choice but as usual the big guys get their way.

[Mitker]

Burn the fields progresively, This will just make he problem last longer. Simple answer change practices and stop burning or stop growing corn.

Exactly.

Just like saying: "don't smoke 7 pack of cigarets on Sunday but just 1 every single day; problem solved"

[maidee]

are these monsanto corn fields?

in that case, the hazing is only CANCEROGENIC

and just become the first widespread airborne cancer

https://www.google.be/?gws_rd=ssl#q=cancerogenic+glyphosate

[chooka]

Do you think anyone in charge who could make a difference really gives a sh....?

nope

Obviously previous governments did not take any meaningful action in the past.

Hopefully firm action will be taken soon.

yep Both the Abashit and Yingluk government and every single government for the last 300+ yrs before them.

[elgordo38]

Do you think anyone in charge who could make a difference really gives a sh....?

No!!! they would not. They are to busy counting tourist numbers/dollars

[elgordo38]

Take Responsibility, what here in LoS ? Anyway has it not already been shown the smog's being caused by burning in Myanmar ?

Ye Ole Blame Game.

[elgordo38]

Do you think anyone in charge who could make a difference really gives a sh....?

nope

Obviously previous governments did not take any meaningful action in the past.

Hopefully firm action will be taken soon.

This statement has really got me laughing. Not in my lifetime or yours.

[elgordo38]

Lets face it all the countries causing this smoke haze all belong to ASEAN , so now that you are all lovey dovey , why not all get together and have another talk fest of the feel good kind and see if you can all come up with a solution to this yearly bout of the collie-wobbles, from Indonesia in the south to Burma in the north this is an annual event but nothing can be done unless all of ASEAN pull together because each of you spew smoke over each other , so the most sensible suggestion is, lets see if you all can take on board some responsibility and try to overcome this centuries old and traditional problem , betcha can't.

I'll betcha can't either. ASEAN is all about increasing profit forget about increasing our quality of life. We are the chafe of life

[elgordo38]

Burn the fields progresively, This will just make he problem last longer. Simple answer change practices and stop burning or stop growing corn.

Quit with the intelligent answers already.

[HerbalEd]

Growing up as a boy in North Carolina, USA my grandfather and uncles grew many acres of corn and other crops and they never once burned a field.

The Thais in northern Thailand do not need to burn their fields and it's very stupid of the government to let them continue to so at such a high cost to the tourism industry and to the health ... and often death ... of it's citizens. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Edited March 22, 2015 by HerbalEd

[oneday]

"...Chiang Mai chamber reveals 5 million rai being burnt to clear fields, asks businesses to take responsibility..."

No, Chiang Mai government, No Thailand government. You must make a law NOW making it illegal...period. There is no other way to stop it. Wake up for #$@$# sake.

Edited March 22, 2015 by oneday

[MaeJoMTB]

Growing up as a boy in North Carolina, USA my grandfather and uncles grew many acres of corn and other crops and they never once burned a field.

The Thais in northern Thailand do not need to burn their fields and it's very stupid of the government to let them continue to so at such a high cost to the tourism industry and to the health ... and often death ... of it's citizens. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

If you actually lived here you would realize the burning is jungle undergrowth and not rice/corn stubble.

IN CM the whole mountainsides are on fire. No burning in the fields at all.

[jollyhangmon]

Why do they have to burn? Other countries have built other industries and created jobs and wealth out of old crops. Instead of burning the money consider side industries like live stock feed, compost and organic fertiliser, mulch will hold moister in the soil especially as there is a drought.

Yep, might be a way to go. The straw would have to be collected - as far as not needed as fodder anyway - and brought to controlled rotting by frequent watering.

Whatever is left on the fields won't decompose up north from about November to April due to lack of humidity, to plough it in like we're used to in EU just doesn't work. Frankly it's dry as hell once dew has faded too and i seen cracks in the ground wide enough to lose your dog.

And yes, most of what is sold as potting soil around here could well use a generous admixture of 'genuine' compost, that's for shua ...